Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Henry Carl Nunn was born in Bolton, Ontario, on the 21st of July, 1883. Son of George Nunn and Emma Jane Cole, he had one sister, Nell. He grew up in Bolton until the family moved to Hamilton in his teens. After a number of early jobs, he started his own business selling mail order hardware and building materials. Quickly, he became a pioneer in North America of pre-fabricated homes. Nunn was the founder and President of the Halliday Homes Company, which was famous for the “Bunkie” style home. The company survived the Depression under Nunn’s ethical and hardworking guidance and then prospered in the years following.

He married Margaret Johnston in 1908, and they went on to have two children, Roger and Phyllis. Outside his work, Nunn was a committed naturalist with a particular interest in ornithology. He was Chairman of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and promoted the appreciation of birds and wildlife throughout his life. He was also active in his church and lived his faith in his daily life. Additional biographical and genealogical details can be found in Box 6, file 19.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The archive consists of 21 diaries spanning 1920-1940 which cover both Nunn’s personal and business affairs. There is some correspondence including letters from Grey Owl and Jack Miner. There is only a little material related to his work outside of the diaries, but there are two Halliday company catalogues.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The archive (2014-044) was donated by Henry Carl Nunn’s grandchildren, Lucinda and Carl Bray in October 2014. They inherited it from Margaret Nunn.

Arrangement

The material has been arranged into three series:Series 1 – Diaries and NotebooksSeries 2 – WritingSeries 3 – Correspondence and Business Catalogues